Attorneys question witness on state protection program in Parlier murder trial

PARLIER, Calif. (KFSN) -- An accused Parlier killer returned to court Friday, sitting quietly as prosecutors made their case against him for the third day.

Francisco Munoz is fighting several felony charges, including one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Prosecutors believe he shot and killed Silvano Mendoza in June 2021.

The crime was caught on camera.

You can see a flash as investigators say Munoz pulled the trigger from a passing car.

Bullets hit Mendoza, a father of five, as he was leaving for work.

"I examined his body for any injuries," Fresno County Sheriff's Office Deputy Coroner Jeffrey Gentry said.

"I observed what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the left side of his body."

Munoz did not show any visible emotion as Gentry testified, and the defendant stayed stone-faced as witness after witness took the stand.

One of them, who testified for hours, is in the state's witness protection program. Action News could not record them.

"Were you afraid of the defendant when you saw him shooting at a black car in the middle of the night?" prosecutor Ismail Aliyev asked.

The witness said they felt "freaked out."

The jury looked on as the witness pointed at Munoz in court, identifying him by his black shirt and saying he was the shooter.

"But fair to say you're really not sure what happened?" defense attorney Antonio Alvarez asked the witness.

Alvarez highlighted issues with the witness' memory and at one point got the witness to admit they were filling in the blanks.

The defense maintains Munoz was framed as investigators closed in. They say there is no physical evidence linking him to the crime and questioned a ballistics expert about the six shell casings he examined.

"Did you do so with some kind of protocol in terms of wearing gloves so you don't leave any evidence on it?" Alvarez asked.

"I don't recall in this situation," Robert Benavides from the Fresno County Sheriff's Office Forensics Laboratory said.

"So, you dealt with it with your bare hands?" Alvarez asked in response.

"Possibly, yes," Benavides said.

The attorneys first said this trial could last about two weeks, but on Friday, they indicated they could wrap up with the evidence on Monday, clearing the way for closing arguments next Wednesday.

If convicted, Francisco Munoz could face up to life in prison for the murder charge.

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